


Afterglow

by TheSacredStephen



Category: Be More Chill
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 06:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14928593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSacredStephen/pseuds/TheSacredStephen
Summary: A blackout and a pair of neon braces can do wonders for a relationship.This was written for my friend Kieran, whose writing inspired me to get back into the hobby.





	Afterglow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [playertwoisheereandqueer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/playertwoisheereandqueer/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Pillow Talk (Boyf Riends)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12217551) by [playertwoisheereandqueer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/playertwoisheereandqueer/pseuds/playertwoisheereandqueer). 



It started out as a regular Friday night. Jeremy was in Michael’s basement, Bob Marley playing through his old stereo, the smell of weed filling the air. Jeremy didn’t like to smoke that much, but sometimes it was nice to just chill out and get stoned in his friend’s basement. The basement was shabby yet cozy, with a single light in the centre of the ceiling illuminating the room. The walls were plastered in posters depicting retro video games, singers and pin-up girls. A small television was placed in the middle of the room, atop a cabinet filled with trashy straight-to-DVD films and legally (and illegally) acquired games. A coffee table covered with snacks, drinks and drug paraphernalia stood between the TV and the battered futon the two were sitting on. The fabric was coming off in places, and it functioned quite poorly as a bed, but nobody cared. It added to the charm of the place. Jeremy took a drag of the joint and placed it into the ashtray. He had to be careful in his manoeuvre as to not disturb Michael, who was leaning against him in a drug-induced sleepiness. The weight being put against him was comforting. He wasn’t quite sure whether the warmth he felt was because he was high or because he was warm. Michael was very warm, and Jeremy could feel that warmth emanating through his red hoodie. It was nice. After reaching out as much as he could, he flicked the joint into the ashtray and was silently enjoying the moment until Michael stirred from his little slumber.  
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Jeremy giggled as he received a fowl look.  
“Shut up, assface.” Michael had a long history of dental issues, so along with the pair of neon green braces he was made to wear came a lisp he couldn’t quite get rid of, despite it being a couple of months since they were first put on him. “You’re lucky I’m comfortable, otherwise I’d totally beat your ass.” He yawned and stretched out onto Jeremy’s lap. He was almost like a cat in his demeanour: Sleepy, moody and willing to do whatever it takes to be comfortable, even if it meant getting in people’s way. Jeremy didn’t mind this, though. He found it cute; he wasn’t usually like this when high. Most of the time he’d lay back and ramble on about how modern television has turned to shit, the many ways losers like him and Jeremy were actually going to surpass the cool kids one day, and the ways their lives would change upon entering college. Considering the fact that they were only juniors, high school was relatively nice to them. Now, it was extremely sucky what with the convoluted social politics, incompetent teachers and what not, but it would only get worse as they went on so it was generally better to keep a positive outlook on things.  
Jeremy’s little musing was interrupted with a sudden power outage. The music had stopped, and the basement had turned completely dark. He jumped in his seat a little, which caused Michael to get up and look at his friend.   
“You alright dude?” Jeremy nodded in response. Unfortunately, he was a bad liar, so one could easily recognise his fear. “I know you’re scared of the dark and all.” He stiffened and blushed, but the darkness made his face nearly invisible.   
“H-How do you know that? I don’t remember telling you anything about that.”   
“Jeremy, you’re like the worst liar I know. Don’t pull that crap on me.”

He laughed. Michael was somewhat insecure about his braces so he rarely smiled properly in public. It meant a lot to Jeremy to see him laughing like this. For a few short seconds, the neon green of his braces lit up the room. It was faint glow, but compared to the pitch-black of the basement it was as bright as the sun.   
“Michael…” Jeremy trailed off.  
“Oh, didn’t you know? These glow in the dark. Cool, huh?” He nodded. “That’s why I chose bright green braces.”   
“Oh? So you wouldn’t have picked them if they were normal?” Michael scoffed.  
“Jeremiah fucking Heere, I am not a lameass.”   
“Michael, you’re the biggest lameass I know.” He put a hand to his chest in a display of mock offense and moved away, before laughing. Once again, the glow returned for a few seconds. He put an arm around Jeremy and pulled him close.   
Jeremy’s fear of the dark stemmed from his childhood. Like most kids, he feared the monsters that hid under his bed and in his closet. As he grew older, the closet monsters didn’t scare him as much. It was a given, considering he’d spent that much time in it. How else could he grow up to be so homo-rific? Unfortunately, his parents weren’t exactly the supportive type. All they would do is tell him that monsters weren’t real and leave the door slightly ajar so he could sleep a little better. To this day Jeremy was never the best at dealing with the dark, and until Michael found out, was able to keep it a secret.   
“Hey. It’s gonna be okay. I can’t guarantee that the power will be back on anytime soon, but I’ll protect you. I promise.” Jeremy’s face warmed up, along with his heart. Those words were all it took to alleviate him of the fear he once felt about the darkness. “Hey, Michael?” Jeremy asked softly.   
“Hmm?” He responded. Jeremy paused for a moment.  
“Keep smiling.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by Pillow Talk, a fic he wrote. What did you guys think? I had a lot of fun writing this, actually. I haven't written for fun in quite a few years, so this was quite cool to do. I'll try and write more as ideas and time come. Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> -Brooke


End file.
